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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. drill — the tool
  3. key — in music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. key — for a lock
  8. land — a country
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. bound — certain
  19. land — ground
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — army training
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com